3 men, a cask of whisky, and jellyfish: A swimming adventure in the Western Isles * Simon Ward and Johnnie Mundell

In this week’s show I’m chatting with one of the members of a 3-man team who were the first humans to circumnavigate swim the isle of Islay (one of the western isles of Scotland).  Johnnie Mundell resides on the West Coast of the US and is a Brand Ambassador for Maker’s Mark whiskey.  However, he has an intimate family connection with Islay, having been born and raised on the West Coast of Scotland.  He was also previously a Brand Ambassador for Laphroaig, one of the well-known brands to emerge from this island.

 

As you’ll hear in the conversation, this was a crazy adventure which was conceived in the manner of most crazy adventures . . over a few drinks.  It took several years to put a working plan together and swim the first strokes.  Neither Johnnie, Justin, or Chad are multi-sport athletes, and this story is not about triathlon.  But, it does embody the spirit of adventure demonstrated regularly by triathletes and one can easily imagine the original Ironmen giving this their nod of approval.  

 

Some of the things we chat about are:

• Paying homage to the witches of Islay
• Signing up for a swim adventure when you don’t even swim on a regular basis
• Why some of us triathletes need to get an attitude makeover
• How to fuel yourself for swimming in 8c water for days on end (without a wetsuit!)
• How the mind can push the body to do amazing things, but if you don’t have the base fitness you might suffer for a long time afterwards
• Missing your best friend’s wedding to pursue your adventures

To watch the video of this incredible adventure please CLICK HERE

You can also visit the website for GreatIslaySwim

Johnnie also mentioned SingleCaskNation as being an integral part of the adventure

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